modular HTML DTD [was: My future of HTML position paper]

singer@almaden.ibm.com wrote:
> >my suggestion would be
> > - paragraph level markup, including lists
> > - document structure (ie section headings, head, title)
> > - tables
> > - forms
> > - image inclusion
> > - linking
> > - frames
> > - scripts and objects
> > - entities
> as a way of enumerating separable, composable element sets.

For a working example of a composable HTML DTD, please see:

http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/9705/html.dtd
<!-- $Id: html.dtd,v 1.2 1997/05/29 22:09:44 connolly Exp $ -->

which separates things as follows:


<!entity %   meta.dtd system   "meta.dtd">   %meta.dtd;
<!entity %  style.dtd system  "style.dtd">  %style.dtd;
<!entity %   text.dtd system   "text.dtd">   %text.dtd;
<!entity % anchor.dtd system "anchor.dtd"> %anchor.dtd;
<!entity %   para.dtd system   "para.dtd">   %para.dtd;
<!entity %   list.dtd system   "list.dtd">   %list.dtd;
<!entity %  table.dtd system  "table.dtd">  %table.dtd;

Of course, SGML DTDs are not susceptible to the sort
of mixing of independently developed modules, but
it's an example. I think Murray A. has got some specific
stuff done here too.

Well... he did. There's a (broken) link from
http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/html-pubtext/

to:

A Modular DTD Approach for HTML Specification In Progress: Jan 19, 1996 
     Murray Altheim <murray@stonehand.com> 
http://www.stonehand.com/murray/modular.htm

But I think the stuff I kept at:
http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/html-pubtext/html20m/

is based on his work. The separation there is:

    basent.mod             27-Mar-96 14:37     1k  
    body-s.mod             27-Mar-96 17:33     1k  
    body.mod               27-Mar-96 17:12     1k  
    char.mod               27-Mar-96 14:35     1k  
    form.mod               27-Mar-96 17:12     3k  
    head-s.mod             27-Mar-96 17:12     2k  
    head.mod               27-Mar-96 17:12     2k  
    heading.mod            27-Mar-96 17:12     1k  
    html-s.dtd             28-Mar-96 18:01     1k  
    html.dtd               27-Mar-96 16:19     4k  
    image.mod              27-Mar-96 15:03     1k  
    isolat1.sgm            27-Mar-96 14:10     4k  
    link-s.mod             27-Mar-96 17:33     1k  
    link.mod               27-Mar-96 15:03     1k  
    list.mod               27-Mar-96 17:12     1k  
    para.mod               27-Mar-96 15:03     1k  
    struct-s.mod           27-Mar-96 17:12     1k  
    struct.mod             27-Mar-96 17:12     1k  
    text.mod               27-Mar-96 15:03     1k  
    textflow-s.mod         27-Mar-96 17:33     1k  
    textflow.mod           27-Mar-96 17:12     1k  

note on this forum: please change the subject lines
if you change the subject.

And keep in mind that debating stuff in the abstract
is of limited value. This forum exists for the purpose
of creating a specific document: a charter for future
work on HTML. Specific text for the briefing package
is most useful. About briefing packages, see:

	http://www.w3.org/Brief/

The real challenge in creating a briefing package is
not so much the "what?" as the "why?". i.e. who
needs this stuff? Why? What's the market window?
Who benefits from the results enough to put in
the time?

In a way, I guess my contribution of specific technical
stuff isn't exactly on target. Oh well...

-- 
Dan Connolly
http://www.w3.org/People/Connolly/
telephone:+1-512-310-2971 (office)

Received on Wednesday, 13 May 1998 22:14:07 UTC